While feelings of loneliness and social isolation are present within various populations and ages; often older adults have decreased opportunities for forming relationships and social interactions. In a longitudinal study, Petersen notes (p. 776) that social isolation contributes to health risks including cardiovascular disease and overall, increase morbidity and mortality (Petersen, 2016). Often signs and symptoms of depressive disorders go unnoticed among older adults and are commonly misdiagnosed as neurocognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s or dementia. Older adults struggling with social isolation also experience psychological and cognitive destress that can influence memory loss and increased risk for cognitive decline (Caldwell, 2005). Various forms of counseling skills and theories have been used to combat these feelings of loneliness in populations of older adults. It is important now, especially during this time in our country’s history, to reimagine accessible therapy. COVID-19 has should significant health risks for older adults but it is crucial that while enforcing preventive spread of the virus that resources are made available to populations of older adults especially when isolation itself has shown increased health risks for this population.
I have been working with older adults ages 65+ from Northwest Philadelphia, since June of 2020. My initial internship was intended to be an in-person experience but quickly shifted due to COVID-19 to a remote position that has never existed for this organization before. I facilitate telephone art groups with this population and very quickly learned the value of accessible care. For many of my clients, they express intense feelings of loneliness and social isolation that existed before the pandemic but has intensified. Since I am working remotely, calling clients who are answering in their living environment, I often use found object exercises as a means to keep prompts accessible and invite a positive conversation about our surroundings and living at home. Found objects encourage a nature narrative quality that often embraces stories and memories shared around objects people collect, how they acquired this object, and many of these items holding space for a loved one who died. Found object collages have the flexibility to be permanent or temporary and can be manipulated several times while creating. I found as I worked with this medium, I thought about this state of impermanency and how to present moments can be honored, how objects can hold multifaceted purposes of function, comfort, aesthetic, and individualized meanings.
References
Caldwell, R. L. (2005). At the confluence of memory and meaning—life
review with older adults and families: using narrative therapy and the expressive
arts to remember and reauthor stories of resilience. The Family Journal, 13(2), 172–
Petersen, J., Kaye, J., Jacobs, P. G., Quinones, A., Dodge, H., Arnold,
A., & Thielke, S. (2016). Longitudinal relationship between loneliness and social
isolation in older adults: Results from the cardiovascular health study. Journal of Aging
and Health, 28(5), 775-795. doi:10.1177/0898264315611664